Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

Some people say they “don’t have time” to exercise, but watch an hour of Netflix every night.  Or they buy produce and watch it slowly wither in their fridge.  Or spend time looking for that game-changing supplement while only getting 5 hours of sleep per night.  Listen to this episode to find the motivation to start, develop habits, and ultimately win at your fitness journey. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (0:54) - My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Mentioned on the Show: My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

How do you go on vacation and enjoy yourself without losing progress or gaining body fat? How often should you adjust your calories while bulking or cutting?  How can you maintain your physique without counting macros or calories? Is it better to get 6 hours of sleep or get 5 hours of sleep to fit in a workout? Is one full-body workout per week enough to maintain muscle? All of that and more in this Q&A podcast. Over on Instagram, I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. :) So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (1:55) - Counting macros leads me back to disordered eating. How can I maintain my physique? (8:02) - Taking a week off for vacation will I lose or hinder progress? (10:45) - How come non-contributing taxpayers are allowed to vote? (11:39) - 50% off all protein powders! www.buylegion.com (13:50) - Would you suggest 6+ hours of sleep or 5 hours of sleep and a morning workout? (15:55) - Do you advise the usage of creatine for all weight levels and fitness goals? (16:56) - How do I keep myself accountable? (18:10) - How often do you update your calories when you’re cutting or bulking? (19:12) - Will Legion ever get new apparel? (19:46) - Is one full-body workout per week enough to maintain muscle? (21:32) - Once we have to swap meat for bugs what would be your bug of choice? (21:56) - Why does one of my thighs look smaller than the other? (22:28) - Can’t sleep during a calorie deficit? (24:42) - How to stop being afraid of asking for help? (24:58) - Thoughts on these uneducated popular fitspos making their own line of supplements? (30:54) - Why didn’t you call the sequel to Bigger Leaner Stronger to Biggerer Leanerer Strongerer? (31:25) - What is the current book you are reading? Mentioned on the Show: Get 50% off all protein powders during my BOGO sale! Go to buylegion.com and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% on any non-sale items or get double reward points!

This podcast explores the benefits of changing up your workouts and the drawbacks of program hopping. They discuss the importance of tweaking specific variables in your training to continue making progress in muscle and strength. They also emphasize the significance of being goal-oriented and focused on progressive overload. The speakers provide practical advice on incorporating variety and a hybrid approach to training to prevent injuries and maintain joint health. Additionally, they discuss the impact of workout changes on hypertrophy and muscle gain, the optimal rest periods between sets, and the importance of varying training methods and rep ranges for optimal muscle growth. They also stress the importance of enjoying your workouts and making them personalized to individual preferences.

You can find countless ways to track your health, especially if you buy any of the latest gizmos and gadgets in the fitness wearables space.  But most health markers aren’t worth keeping an eye on.  With the “quantified self” movement on the rise in recent years, fitness wearable manufacturers and marketers will attempt to sell you on the benefits of all the health metrics you can track. The truth is many health markers simply don’t matter. And some of these health indicators can even be actively misleading, as in the case of recovery scores produced by different fitness wearables, usually based primarily on heart rate variability. In this podcast, I share 5 health markers that will allow you to monitor your health and ensure you're in good shape. I believe these 5 metrics constitute the 20% of all the things you could track, which produce 80% of the benefits or give you at least 80% of the overall picture of your health. So, listen to this episode to learn the 5 health metrics that are actually worth tracking. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (2:43) - Blood pressure and its health metrics. (6:56) - Body composition and why you should be measuring it. (15:10) - How to measure your resting heart rate. (16:39) - Check out my new Sucrosomial Magnesium! https://buylegion.com/mag (19:59) - Blood sugar and how to measure it. (25:30) - Why should you measure your cholesterol and triglyceride levels? Mentioned on the Show: My new Sucrosomial Magnesium essential mineral supplements is here! Check it out: https://buylegion.com/mag Get our 100% natural Sucrosomial Magnesium supplement with a clinically effective dose of a scientifically proven form of magnesium that supports athletic performance, mood, sleep, and bone and cardiovascular health. Grab a bottle here and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points: https://buylegion.com/mag

Can drop sets help you gain muscle and strength? Is the sumo deadlift “cheating” compared to conventional deadlifts? Is willpower limited and how do your beliefs affect it? I’m discussing the latest scientific studies on these questions. Listen now to dive into the research! This podcast is another installment in my Research Review series of episodes, where I give you concise and practical takeaways from studies that I think are interesting and that can help us gain muscle and strength faster, lose fat faster, perform better athletically, feel better, live longer, or get and stay healthier.  There is a ton of scientific research that gets published every year, and even if you narrow your focus to fitness research, it would still take several lifetimes to unravel the hairball of studies on nutrition, training, supplementation, and related fields.  That's why my team and I put a lot of time into reviewing, dissecting, and describing scientific studies in articles, podcasts, and books.  Oh and if you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness). And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (1:59) - Should you be doing drop sets? (10:42) - Find the Perfect Strength Training Program for You: www.muscleforlife.show/trainingquiz (11:28) - Is the sumo deadlift easier than the conventional deadlift? (18:00) - What is the relationship between mindset and fatigue? Mentioned on the Show: Find the Perfect Strength Training Program for You in Just 60 Seconds: ⁠http://www.muscleforlife.show/trainingquiz⁠

People can be quite creative in the ways they stifle their own progress and hold themselves back from getting what they want. From self-sabotage to negative thinking, these roadblocks (which most people don’t even know exist) are what really prevent people from reaching fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. It’s not a lack of desire or smarts. In his new book, Do It, David Nurse describes these mindset obstacles as Action Archetypes. To help unpack these challenges and provide actionable insights, I interview David in this podcast. In case you’re not familiar with him, David is not only a former pro basketball player, life optimization coach, and a repeat guest on my podcast, but he’s a bestselling author, and acclaimed speaker, named by Real Leaders as a Top 50 keynote speaker (and he’s the youngest speaker in the list to boot). In our discussion, David and I chat about everything from what Action Archetypes are and which ones he’s discovered, to dealing with internalized failure and building self-esteem. So, if you're looking for insights into the secret reasons holding you back and effective strategies to overcome these obstacles and achieve your dreams, listen to this interview! Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (01:48) - What is the title of the book and why did you write this book? (5:36) - What are some of the main action archetypes you’ve come across? (11:45) - What’s another archetype? Why do people internalize failure? (32:12) - Midroll Ad (34:22) - How smart do we need to be in order to achieve the goals we need to achieve? (52:26) - What are your thoughts on building a healthy self-esteem? (60:40) - Where can people find you and your work?   Mentioned on the Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip Sam’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammillerscience/ Sam’s website: http://www.sammillerscience.com/ Sam’s Book: www.metabolismmadesimple.com David’s Book Do It: The Life-Changing Power of Taking Action - https://www.amazon.com/Do-Life-Changing-Power-Taking-Action/dp/1119853702/?tag=mflweb-20

The number one most requested product of my sports nutrition company, Legion, is something I refuse to sell. That product is BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids), and it’s one of the most popular supplements in the body composition space. Many people claim that BCAA supplements are essential for muscle growth, improve immunity, and even help with fat loss. In this podcast, I’ll explain why BCAAs are actually worthless and how the science used to sell these supplements is often misrepresented or even fake. So, click play and stay tuned as we explore the world of BCAAs, discuss their perceived benefits, and uncover the reasons why you might want to skip them altogether. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (3:32) - What are BCAAs? (7:32) - What studies show that BCAAs show significant muscle growth? (18:07) - Try Whey+ risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/whey and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! (20:42) - Do BCAAs reduce fatigue? (24:18) - BCAA’s and recovery (25:40) - Can training in a fasted state with BCAAs increase muscle growth? (30:08) - What are some good alternatives to BCAAs? Mentioned on the Show: Try Whey+ risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/whey and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!

How can you reduce water retention? Are seed oils as bad as “they” say? What am I doing to heal my biceps tendinitis? How important is the mind-muscle connection? Should you eat white or whole wheat carbs while bulking? All of that and more in this Q&A podcast. Over on Instagram, I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. :) So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (1:30) - What are ways you combat water retention? (5:12) - Where do you get the memes you post? (6:00) - Are seed oils really that bad for you? Or is it just another fad? (6:45) - What have you been doing to help the biceps tendon healing process? (18:05) - How important is the mind-muscle connection? (18:14) - My free meal planning tool: buylegion.com/mealplan (21:50) - White versus whole wheat carbs on a bulk? (24:55) - Should I take a week off if I have a sore throat or lung infection? (26:10) - What is the latest conspiracy theory you believe in? (26:30) - How many reps and sets for increasing bone density? (28:10) - What are your thoughts on alcohol consumption? Mentioned on the Show: Want a free meal planning tool that figures out your calories, macros, and micros, and allows you to create custom meal plans for cutting, lean gaining, and maintaining in under 5 minutes? Go to https://buylegion.com/mealplan and download the tool for free!

In this podcast, Sam Miller, an Amazon best-selling author and metabolism expert, shares practical strategies to improve metabolism. They discuss the relationship between metabolism and overall health, the influence of genetics and past experiences, strategies to boost metabolism, and the role of mindset and consistency in improving metabolic health. Sam also talks about incorporating biofeedback and viewing calorie deficit as a phase. This podcast offers valuable insights for optimizing metabolism and achieving body transformation.

In this podcast, I’ll give you 10 simple, yet powerful insights that will help you maximize your gym time, prevent injury, and improve your performance. These training tips cover everything from myths about behind-the-neck pulldowns to exploring my favorite underrated exercises. They'll quickly equip you with valuable knowledge to level up your fitness game and optimize your workouts. Tune in and let me know your favorite training tip! Timestamps: 0:00 - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! 00:30 - Why are behind-the-neck pulldowns a bad idea? 1:00 - Does the barbell squat irritate your back? 1:32 - Are side raises bothering your shoulders? 2:00 - Calf training tips 2:35 - Are you tipping too far forward when you squat? 2:45 - What are unilateral exercises good for? 4:00 - What grip should you use for the bench press? 4:22 - Can a weightlifting belt reduce the risk of injury? 6:10 - Is it a good idea to implement a partial range of motion training? 11:48 - What are some underrated exercises? 12:35 - My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Mentioned on the Show: My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/